Age of Cosmic Exploration, 4

by Zhttty

  Other than that, this new cell would begin expanding. If not for the laser that kept the cells under containment, the Hope would have been eaten from within!

  "…What you’re saying is that this new cell violated the law of mass conservation and grew without consuming anything?" Yao Yuan asked in surprise.

  Ivan shook his head/ "That’s not exactly correct. To be precise, it consumed the ions in the air to grow. It no longer needed to rely on solid substances; it could transmute water and energy from atoms found in the air. The cell can keep on growing if it’s exposed to air."

  Yao Yuan’s face sunk because this was the perfect evolution for the mother nest. As it neared the sun, the solar wind would provide it with enough materials to grow into an invincible monster!

  "Why did it start evolving only now? I thought the previous supercell was already its final form," Yao Yuan asked.

  Bo Li, who stood beside him, answered, "Probably… it was still decoding the password then."

  "Decoding the password?"

  "Yes, the alien plant’s genetic code so to speak. This plant is a creation from a high level civilization, meaning its code is most likely hard to decipher, so it took the alien cell this long to unlock it."

  "I understand."

  Yao Yuan stared solemnly at the mother nest on the screen. He finally understood why the mother nest was having delayed reactions to the cannon shots. It was busy decoding the alien plants to fully absorb the plant’s technology as its own and transform into the scary cells found in the biology lab!

  -------

  Please visit www.webnovel.com to read advanced chapters!

  Chapter173 Super Organism！

  "However, it is as Zhang Heng said: the alien has the most basic of instinct and intelligence. The desire to acquire technology outweighs everything else. It doesn’t even care that it’s hurtling towards the sun… Such crazy need."

  At about 19 hours and 30 minutes, the mother nest started changing its forum. Under the Hope’s careful surveillance, it slowly changed to adopt the trademarked genetic code. Before its death, it put on the most grotesque freak show mankind had ever seen…

  In about 10 seconds, the mother nest flattened itself to a skin-like organism. Its thickness was about 10 centimeters, and it looked ready to completely envelop a planet.

  The piece of skin graft unfurled before mankind’s eyes with surprising speed. Even at the Hope’s distance, one could see it expanding. It grew larger and larger, expanding at an exponential rate.

  Numerous bulbous growths emerged on the side that faced the sun. They were mini particle flux accelerators. Their purpose was obviously to slow the acceleration down.

  However…

  It was already too close to the sun. The most generous estimation put it at about 30,000 kilometers away from the sun. It was already within the sun’s gravitational range. The sun’s high temperature and pressure were pulling it towards its death!

  "Its speed continues to drop, 400 kilometers per second…

  "300 kilometers per second…

  "200 kilometers per second…

  "It’s burning…"

  The skin organism slowly caught on fire like a piece of paper. However, it kept growing and decreasing in speed. Alas, it was too late. It fell into the sun, into a place where the Hope’s surveillance couldn’t keep up anymore, and the screen went completely white…

  At the same time, in a cordoned off internet café sat Xiao Niao. He gained entry by using his trooper’s privilege. He chose his usual table and switched on the game, Star Craft 3. He stared at the familiar main menu until he eventually fell asleep. 6 hours had passed when he woke up next.

  He was feeling groggy until the ID ZERO joined his server. He sat up straight in his seat, feeling suddenly refreshed.

  "Noob, you’re here?" Xiao Niao typed hurriedly.

  "I’m not a noob! I’ve proven you wrong, haven’t I? I’ve presented to you the actual Zerg in space! Qi Xiao Niao!"

  "Yes, that is definitely a Zerg. but I’m more interested in knowing what are you, ZERO."

  ZERO kept up a long silence. When Xiao Niao thought he had gone offline, the reply came.

  "I am ZERO, the beginning as you humanfolk put it…"

  "As we humanfolk? Does this mean you’re not one of us? Then who, or what, are you? The Hope itself, or an alien? God or demon?"

  ZERO retreated into silence once more. Xiao Niao waited patiently and eventually his patience paid off. ZERO replied, "I was born on Earth, but differently… from mankind. I have no honest answer as to what I am, but I’m sure I’m not an a… Furthermore, there is no God in space, but there is indeed a demon race, the kind described in your bible."

  Xiao Niao looked curiously at the answers. He couldn’t understand it. He replied, "You said you were born on Earth but not a human…"

  Suddenly, it hit Xiao Niao and he typed excitedly, "I know, are you from Atlantis? This means you’re a merman or a mermaid?"

  ZERO’s reply came instantly this time. "No, I’m not from Atlantis, not a merfolk, I’m… a pure spiritual life force if I have to describe it, something akin to your humankind’s understanding of a plasmatic life form…"

  "What the hell is a plasmatic life form…" Xiao Niao groused. He was a thinker, but he was no scientist, so the scientific term proved to be a tumble for him.

  "But speaking of pure spiritual life force, this means you’re an angel? So you were telling the truth when you said you're a girl. Wait a minute… angels can be men or even transgendered. I’ve seen plenty of angelic men in sailor outfits before in anime. Are you one of those?"

  "… Do you hate men?" ZERO asked suddenly.

  "Hate is too harsh a word. But my typical impression for an angel is a female, so discovering that she is actually he would come as a bit of a disappointment," Xiao Niao replied after some thought.

  "Then you can just treat me as a female, but in any case, I’m not an angel… I’m leaving, seems like the Zerg crisis is over. Be thankful that I’ve kept a tab on it, greatly decreasing its cellular decoding capability to buy you extra time… So don’t call me a noob again," ZERO typed.

  Xiao Niao responded immediately, "So how could I find you next? Err… for multiplayer games like Star Craft 3, Civilization 7. The more the merrier, right? Plus, as you’ve said, the Zerg crisis is over, I foresee an extended relaxation time for games…"

  "…I will find you when I need to and… The peace won’t last for long because the program is still running, there will never be peace unless the civilization breaks through the level 9 limit or finds the ‘key’…"

  And ZERO logged off.

  Xiao Niao had gotten a lot of useful information. He had said many insignificant things, but the final purpose was to drag as much information out of ZERO as he could. A majority of the things ZERO revealed were within his expectations. Now he needed to find a secluded place, one where the possibility of eavesdropping and spying was nilch, to discuss it over with Yao Yuan, to request his aid to set a trap…

  The only thing that worried him from the conversation was ZERO’s parting sentence. What did he mean by peace wouldn’t last long? What program was still running? What is the level 9 limitation? And what is the "key?"

  These were beyond his comprehension.

  As he walked out of the internet café, he heard cheers resounding through the crowd. People were running up and down the corridors in celebratory fashion. They danced, they laughed and they cheered. The reason for their celebration was…

  Mankind had won! Victory was theirs!

  They had a planet with a blue sky, blue sea, and lush greenery waiting for them to discover…

  And to architect into mankind’s new home planet!

  -------

  Please visit www.webnovel.com to read advanced chapters!

  Chapter174 Virus

  This was hours before the mother nest evolved to a super organism…

  There was another battle happening inside
the Hope.

  "This won’t do, the virus has spread to the internal organs. More than 5 troopers are suffering from internal bleeding, breathing difficulties, and palpitations. If this continues…"

  A researcher yelled hurriedly as he watched the data on the screen.

  Behind him were more than 100 scientists and researchers, including Whisperers, Ivan, and Saburo. They were the Hope’s brightest minds on the subject of pathology and biology. Their greatest hurdle right now was the new home planet and its viruses and bacteria.

  As previously mentioned, the planet’s virus and bacteria had a different growth history from the ones found on Earth. For example, even though the planet’s virus and bacteria were carbon-based, their genetic code was wildly different from the ones on Earth. This meant that mankind’s immune system offered zero protection against them.

  In fact, they found out that a single breath of the planet’s air would cause irrevocable damage to Earth’s survivors. The infection was so strong that the infected would die in a matter of days or even hours! This was unlike sci-fi movies where the first thing humans did after locating a new planet was take off their space helmets and breathe in the open air. That would be essentially committing suicide.

  Ivan frowned deeply. He exchanged a meaningful look with Saburo before saying, "Apply flash freeze to the troopers’ bodies and prepare necessary body fluid shots."

  The researcher was stunned. Before he could protest, a senior scientist beside him said, "Professor Ivan, are you sure about this? There are still many flaws with the flash freezing mechanism. If we don’t unfreeze them in the next 3 days, the cold will cause irreparable damage to the human bodies…"

  Saburo came to Ivan’s support. "It’s still better than letting them die now, right? We already have 4 deaths on our hands. Among the living, Zhang Heng is undergoing heart shock and heart arrest. This is the only way available to keep them alive until we find the vaccine."

  The senior scientist sighed because he knew Saburo was right. A few minutes later, all of the quarantined troopers were given body fluid shots to prepare their bodies for flash freezing. This was to prevent their skin from being frostbitten during the procedure. Then the super growth fields were activated, and all of the troopers’ bodies were sent into stasis. Unlike the flash freezing portrayed in sci-fi, there were no blocks of ice; the troopers merely looked like they had fallen asleep.

  Everyone stood outside the lab to watch over the procedure until a fight broke out between Ivan and Saburo.

  "Professor Saburo, I staunchly refuse to let you conduct any experiments with the alien cells. For one, they are held by the military. Furthermore, you have seen for yourself how dangerous these cells can be from our force’s battles with them. If the experiments went wrong and they infected the human body, to be honest… I’d rather the troopers die!" Ivan said strongly.

  Saburo, who was normally polite in his demeanor, retorted angrily, "But Professor Ivan, can you think of any other way to save these people? Every single of one of them has contracted more than 100 fatal viral and bacterial strands. Each of the strands is responsible for a different cellular damage, and thus every single of them requires a specific vaccine. Could we feasibly create more than 100 vaccines in 3 days? Furthermore, because of the flash freezing, their bodies’ immune system has completely shut down! This is our only choice!"

  Ivan hesitated before shaking his head firmly. "No, this might be our only choice, but I still can’t allow it. Have you thought of the consequences? The cells might save their lives, but they might take control over their bodies. I believe the troopers would rather die than be mind-controlled by the alien!"

  Saburo replied quickly, "That won’t happen because I won’t directly inject the cells into their bodies. I still have basic knowledge of biology. I will begin by allowing the alien cells contact to the virus and bacteria in petri dishes. Do you still remember these alien cells’ unique properties? They have no set genetic structural code. In other words, whenever it comes into a contact with a new virus or bacteria, as long as they are not ones that would kill them instantly, the cells can change their genetic code to eventually create immunity against these new virus and bacteria.

  Then, by observing the interaction between the planet’s virus and bacteria with the alien cells, we can replicate or retrieve the immunogens and lysozymes from the alien cells and…"

  Ivan interrupted him. "This sounds good, but you are using mankind’s scientific knowledge to understand the alien cell. I too have thought of this possibility. To use the alien cells to breed the necessary stem cells to inject into the human bodies rather than injecting the alien cells directly. If the human body accepts the stem cells, immunity will be gained. However… who can be certain a spliced cell from the alien cell doesn’t contain its harmful DNA? Maybe its RNA is more than enough to create complete alien cells inside the human body. Then the victims would be eaten alive from within!

  "This is space we’re in! None of us know how the alien cell could evolve. What if I’m right and they can regenerate with just a spliced cell? Maybe the effect is latent in the beginning, but after 10 days, 1 year, or even 1 decade later? Could the cells not suddenly wake up and become active again? Like what had happened to the aquatic civilization, the cells can reproduce and spread by infecting its host’s body. The whole civilization was wiped out in mere months; do you wish the same to happen to us, mankind?"

  The hidden accusation in Ivan’s words was clear. If he had brought this before Yao Yuan, Saburo would definitely be labeled a public threat.

  Saburo’s face was as red as a tomato. He took several calming breaths before adding, "Regardless, I will continue with this experiment! Professor Ivan, if you have any more objections to it, you are welcome to report to the Captain… I’m doing this not for glory or for fame!" Saburo felt warmed by the memory that swamped his mind, the smile of his love he once lost. It gave him the courage to say out loud, "This is to save human lives! Death is the great equalizer, but only for the dead; the pain lies forever more with the living. To prevent others from suffering the same fate I did, I will carry on with this experiment unless you have me detained!

  "Professor Ivan, you do not understand the gravity of this experiment? It not only affects the currently infected troopers but our future as well. Like you said, we are in space, and mankind is nothing but a brief candle buffeted by the cosmos’ vile winds. Any contact with future planets or organisms could lead us back to this situation, and the scale might be even bigger. This time we have about 20 deaths, but what about next time? Let another 20 people die for the safety of the majority simply because we have no ways to save them? How is that different from the officials that abandoned Earth the moment tragedy struck?

  "I refuse to succumb to this weakness! These people can and must be saved; human life is most precious. The alien cells provide us with the best raw material to cultivate the ultimate vaccine. Yes, it is risky, but there is risk behind every breakthrough. Furthermore, isn’t taking risks what we scientists are here for?"

  Saburo bowed deeply at Ivan, adding, "I guess this is where we part ways, Professor Ivan. I’ve learned a lot in our times working together, but this… is my own battle now! Unless you kill or incapacitate me, there is no way I’m stopping this experiment. If the alien cell does end up infecting me, I’ll activate the lab’s neutralizing sequence…"

  Saburo straightened himself and walked out of the room. His assistants that made to follow were deterred by the stern glare in his eyes. He strode alone to his lab, his departure solitary yet unusually glaring…

  -------

  Please visit www.webnovel.com to read advanced chapters!

  Chapter175 During the Experiment

  Mankind’s medical history was thousands of years long. Discounting the prehistoric period, even modern medicine had had a long history of about 200 years. However, we were still hamstrung when it came to vaccines against viruses, bacteria, and microbes as well as risky operations
like heart transplants.

  When mankind’s technology reached the 4th revolution, many medical technologies also evolved. For example, there was a type of nanobot that could enter the human body to repair damaged organs or dissect tumors without the need for surgery. Other than that, the genetic mesomeric resonator could be used to elongate all carbonate life forms’, mankind included, lifespan. The efficacy of surgery could also be increased by using technologies the like super growth field to stabilize the cellular activities of human organs during operation to increase the operation’s success rate. However, the side effect of the super growth field was still heavy on animals, so its uses were mostly limited to plants. It would probably require the 5th or 6th industrial revolution for the technology to be perfected.

  It was true that the 4th revolution had introduced a giant increase to mankind’s medical progress, but there was also the appearance of many new diseases. Or rather, there was an increase in the number of viruses, bacteria, and microbes mankind’s medical technology couldn’t handle in space.

  Saburo was alone in the locked laboratory. Of course, Yao Yuan, who had the master key, could still enter it, so this wasn’t a step to ward off Yao Yuan but to steel his own determination.

  "Hanako, Shiro… I will not let what happened to you repeat itself!"

  At the same time, Ivan sat silently in the biology lab. Researchers in the room looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to come to a decision.

  After some time, Ivan announced suddenly, "Report this to the Captain, then…"

  The group of scientists sighed both in relief and in worry. This meant Saburo’s experiment would be forcefully halted, but it would help ensure the Hope’s safety.

  "…then transfer all the data we have on the alien cells, as well as this planet’s microbes, viruses, and bacteria to Professor Saburo. That is the least we can do for him."

  Relief changed into shock. The researchers were confused. Did Ivan want to stop or help Saburo? His orders served 2 drastically different purposes.